Ryan Flynn - Register Citizen
The Torrington office of Dr. Rashmi Patel, who had his license suspended in April is located on 2119 East Main Street.

HARTFORD >> A lawyer for a suspended dentist told a state disciplinary panel Wednesday that his client did nothing wrong in connection with the death of a patient who was having 20 teeth extracted in one sitting.

Dr. Rashmi Patel has offices in Enfield and Torrington. His license was suspended in April by the Connecticut State Dental Commission. The panel convened a hearing Wednesday on whether Patel’s license should be restored, remain suspended or be revoked. The hearing is expected to be held over several days.

The panel suspended Patel’s license two months ago after 64-year-old Judith Glan of Ellington became unresponsive during conscious anesthesia in Patel’s Enfield office and died. Officials with the state Department of Public Health say another patient of Patel’s also suffered a problem during conscious anesthesia in December but survived.

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Patel’s attorney, Michael Kogut, told the three-member commission that Patel’s license never should have been suspended.

“We do not believe the department presented sufficient evidence,” Kogut said. “Even as of this date, there has been no determined cause of death (for Glan).”

The commission on Wednesday denied several motions by Patel, including requests to dismiss the allegations and reinstate his license.

Some Torrington residents expressed outrage online after the story on Patel’s license surfaced. The story was initially reported by WFSB. Some even came forward with personal experiences detailing uncomfortable situations at his offices on East Main Street.

Brandon Munson, 34, of Torrington, is a car salesman in the city. He said his wife and 4-year-old son became clients of Patel about two years ago, seeing him about six times over that time span. His son actually had an appointment with Patel’s office a few days after Munson heard about the dentist’s suspended license. His wife had an upcoming appointment, too, which he cancelled.

The action’s of Patel’s staff reminded Munson of a high-pressure sales situation, which he said is the type of salesmanship Munson avoided when he first started looking for jobs as a car salesman. With 10 years of car dealership experience, Munson said he has seen those situations before, and that Patel’s office was quick to “attack” when they attempted to provide an additional service.

“That’s exactly what that his practice reminded me of,” Munson said. “It just seemed super, super shady, which should have given me a hint that maybe this isn’t the best place to go.”

Patel came off as a charlatan, warning Munson that if he didn’t purchase an additional service, it could have consequences.

“It was just like when you go into a car dealership, and you go for the sale, then the warranty...they’re playing good cop, bad cop,” Munson said.

However, Munson said he continued to take his son there over the two years because the dental hygienists were great with the boy.

Andrea Millette, 40, a patient of Patel, said the dentist was thoughtful, kind and genuinely caring.

Millette moved to Torrington three years ago from Enfield, though she said she had not heard of Patel’s practice until she moved to Torrington. She works in sales and heard about the dentist through word of mouth recommendations. She became one of his patients two years ago.

“I only have good things to say. He’s very caring and he explains everything,” Millette said,

Millette said she was shocked when she first heard of Patel’s suspended license. She said Patel always made her feel comfortable whenever she visited. Her latest visit to his office was about two weeks ago for a teeth cleaning.

“I just think the world of him,” Millette said. “I think he’s a great guy, a great dentist. Hopefully it works out.”

State officials say Patel didn’t respond appropriately when Glan’s oxygen levels dropped during the anesthesia. They also allege he improperly delegated induction of the sedation and monitoring of the patient to assistants not trained or licensed to perform such actions.

David Tilles, a lawyer for the Health Department, told the commission that Patel’s license needed to be suspended in order to protect the public from what he called Patel’s “dental judgments.” Tilles said Patel’s license should remain suspended pending the outcome of the hearing.

“Your role is to protect the public,” Tilles told commissioners.

Patel, 45, of Suffield, declined to comment Wednesday. His business partner and supporter, Michael Schoerie, said Patel followed all proper procedures and state officials have developed a “lynch mob mentality” against him. He also said multiple tooth extractions in one sitting aren’t unusual.

Representatives at Patel’s Torrington office did not respond to calls for comment Wednesday.

“The Department of Public Health has acted far outside the norm,” Schoerie said outside the hearing.

He added, “We still don’t know the cause of death ... but he is sitting here on trial.”